New York Yankees updates, rumors: Miguel Andujar progression, Starting Pitching question marks, Bullpen updates

New York Yankees‘ third baseman Miguel Andujar has been the main topic of the offseason, as at this point in the year, it is a somewhat stagnant and dry stage, unfortunately for us writers. With that, Aaron Boone stated yesterday morning that he believes Andujar is on track for Spring Training, saying: “We believe he’s going to be totally healthy as he enters spring training and good to go.” That is fantastic news to hear, and anyone that’s been following the matter has seen Andujar progress periodically. He’s been throwing and taking grounders in the Dominican Republic and has also been hitting the cages hard as well. It looks as if Dujar is preparing to win back a spot on this team, and having that spark ignited in him – an already very talented player and fantastic hitter – could only bode well for the Yankees going forward.

I expect that Andujar won’t be traded before Spring Training, as I think that Boone and Cashman value him too highly to ship him off, simply because he lost his job due to injury. Andujar holds tons of value and is at the lowest point of his career in terms of said value, and everyone within the Yankees organization knows this. It isn’t like Happ, where after a lost season, they are attempting to offload his contract – as Andujar is a cost-effective and controlled player with nothing but upside and a bright future ahead of him.

As for Happ, it seems the only problem is that the Yankees likely do not want to have to eat any of his salary, and they seem content sitting on him until someone properly values him or makes an offer that is decent enough to warrant Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner’s’ listening.

Questions around the Starting Pitching rotation

The Yankees current starting pitching rotation has, surprisingly, warranted more question marks around it than I would’ve initially expected at this time. Everyone has been flocking around who the potential fifth man in the rotation will be, that nobody has pondered that maybe the Yankees just aren’t going to have a set fifth man.

Last year the New York Yankees used an opener in numerous games, as that man was oft Chad Green. I don’t expect Green to be used as an opener this year – especially with Montgomery rejoining the team, and the talented Jonathan Loaisiga as well, who my colleague Alexander Wilson did a piece on. I think that even if Happ is to stay on the roster come Opening Day, that the Yankees may not even name a fifth starter – until German rejoins the team and is slotted back into the rotation. Ultimately, the way I view it is that there are a handful of guys who can fill in that final slot, as previously mentioned, and that the Yankees may use an array of arms to slot in for that last spot of the rotation.

The Rays employed the opener for two of their rotation spots last season (three when Glasnow was on the IL), and it worked very well for them. The Yankees bullpen is arguably the best in the majors, and having numerous long relief guys that double down as starters, or the other way around, is going to play into the Yankees favor going forward.

As for the other names in the rotation, the one with the most question marks around it has been Masahiro Tanaka and for the right reason. Tanaka has the elbow problem that will be lingering over him like a dark cloud, but if he can avoid Tommy John surgery or surgery of any kind for that matter, he will be a massive weapon this season. While Tanaka has been up-and-down the past few seasons specifically, he provides stability and will hopefully be able to surpass the 170.0 IP mark once again. Not to mention, he is incredible come the Postseason. In 46.0 IP across the postseason, he’s posted an ERA and FIP of 1.76 and 3.48 – his FIP will always be higher because he’s a groundball inducing pitcher. Add to that an incredible LOB% of 86.0% and a mere HR/9 of 0.78. Simply put, while Tanaka has his struggles and inconsistencies, he is incredibly important to the stability and well-being of this rotation and team and is a different breed in October.

New York Yankees Bullpen updates

The Yankees also don’t appear to be jumping at any of the relief pitchers on the market, as of today, at least. Steve Cishek, the one I discussed briefly in a previous news and updates post and labeled as my favorite option on the market, was snatched up and signed a one year deal worth $6,000,000 with the Chicago White Sox – who are my favorites to win the AL Central, as I believe the Twins will falter a bit this upcoming year.

I don’t think the Yankees are intrigued by any bullpen arms unless their name is ‘Josh Hader,’ and even then, I feel as if the talks have reached a standstill. While I think Milwaukee has been faltering this offseason, losing numerous pieces and failing to replace them with as high quality of players, they’re going to be competing regardless of how the media portrays it. They know that Hader possesses massive value, and they are asking for a King’s ransom in return – as they should. Any time you have Christian Yelich in your lineup, there’s always going to be the chance at something great. However, I am a believer that the New York Yankees truly don’t need any immediate bullpen help, unless it is to be a lefty. With the new rule that requires pitchers to pitch an entire inning versus being used in situations for handedness especially, that will affect numerous specialists coming into this season. With that, here are the 2019 splits for Yankees’ current BP arms versus righties and lefties; * = used as a starter as well (info via Fangraphs):

Now, as you can tell from the table, the one who REALLY struggled when looking at splits was Adam Ottavino. That is expected, however, as Ottavino throws his power slider, a large majority of the time – career 44.7% usage rate – and it’s not nearly as effective against opposite-handed hitters. As for the glaring outliers, Green, Cessa, and Loaisiga, I expect better years from all three of them. Green re-found himself the second half of the season, and after his demotion to AAA was much more reliable and in a better headspace when he was recalled. Cessa’s role has been one that’s never really been set in stone, so hopefully this year, he’s able to solely be used as a BP guy and settle into his role. As for Loaisiga, I expect big things from him this upcoming year and expect him to be used solely as a bullpen arm or spot starter.

Keep those lofty expectations

This upcoming season features a lot of question marks around the Yankees, perhaps more than are warranted. However, the knowns as of now are what is making this team so exciting and leading hype train. The anticipation of potentially being able to watch Cole, Severino, and Paxton take on anyone in the first three games of the ALDS is terrifying to think about from the opposing team’s point of view. The offense itself, healthy and ready for war, with a new strength and conditioning coach – Matt Krause – lead to expectations that this team will be on the field, not the IL, the majority of the year.

Keep those expectations high, Yankees fans, and let the anticipation fuel you.